


What's In Your Head?

by orphan_account



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mutants, Flirting, Homophobic Language, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Mentions of child neglect, Party, Rating May Change, Slow Burn, Sonia Kaspbrak is a shitty awful parent, Strangers to Lovers, Tags May Change, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, anyway richie and eddie are so fucking gay and in love, insecure!eddie, musician richie, quicksilver!richie, telepathic!eddie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-17
Updated: 2018-01-09
Packaged: 2019-02-03 12:53:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12748716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: So, the year is 1999. Eddie is 23 years old, telepathic, and lives with his childhood best friend, Bill, in Portland, Maine. He meets a young musician with a knack for speed named Richie at a bar. More details at 11.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> ok so this is based on tumblr user trashmouthloser's mutant headcanons, so thank you so much for letting me write this. i hope you enjoy it. it has been while since ive written fanfiction, so please leave feedback!

Growing up with mind-reading powers was pretty cool. Eddie always knew what smartass comeback to make when his peers would say something dumb. He always knew exactly what to say to get on adults’ good sides. When he was about 11, he figured out he could easily cheat on most tests, only fueling his classmates dislike for him. As a child, he made his best attempts to use his mutation responsibly, but children are, by nature, prone to mistakes. 

While he used it for good in regards to his best friend, Bill, he tended to use it more selfishly with his classmates, earning him the nickname “Nosy Eddie” by middle school. Occasionally, he would attempt to alter people’s emotions towards him. But, what else was a small, asthmatic germaphobic boy with a desperate need to be at least somewhat liked to do?

Disliked throughout most of middle school and high school, Eddie vowed to restrain his powers and only use them to help Bill. Besides, he had been lectured by plenty of people, such as his mother and teachers, about invading others (especially adults’) privacies. He didn’t like reading adults’ thoughts, anyway. They thought vulgar, violent, and scary things, which young Eddie didn’t even want to comprehend the meaning of, like Mr. Keene repeatedly thinking his wife his a “dumb, lying whore” with the same viciousness of a rabid dog. 

But, his mother particularly drilled it into his head ever since he began to develop his power that he was never to read her thoughts. Maybe he should’ve questioned it more, but Mrs. Kaspbrak’s word was law. It just was. 

In his opinion, Bill’s mutation was ten times cooler than his. Sure, Eddie could know everybody’s deepest, darkest secrets, but Bill could move things with his mind. Well, it seemed way cooler when they were kids. 

When they were 13, Eddie remembers an irritated Bill accidentally using his powers to throw a large rock through Henry Bower’s car window. They ran like hell, while Eddie cursed Bill for not being able to keep his “dumb mind powers” under control. He instantly regretted it after he saw the hurt in Bill’s eyes, because Bill, just like Eddie, was prone to misusing his power. Since then, Eddie has done his best to help Bill keep his powers under control. In return, Bill always lets him know when he’s being too invasive. 

Anyhow, Bill thinks his and Eddie’s mutations are the coolest in Derry.

“How can they not be cool?!” Bill had once exclaimed when they were wandering through the barrens and talking about their most recent beating from the Bowers Gang “Mental mutations makeup only one percent of the entire mutation population! Who cares if Belch Huggins has super strength? You can literally read people’s minds, Eddie!”

Eddie never liked this conversation. He’s had it a million times with Bill. Like everything else about him, the Bowers Gang had taken a liking to making fun of Eddie for his mutation, dubbing it a “useless power” and proclaiming that “of course you can only read feelings like a girl.” He understood Bill was only trying to make him feel better, but his friend could do some real lasting damage with his mutation. During junior year of high school, Eddie was receiving one of the worst beatings the Bowers Gang had ever given him, when Bill stumbled on to the scene. Seeing Eddie curled up in a ball desperately trying to protect himself from the blows while his blood spilled onto the gravel, really set something off in Bill. In an instant without moving a muscle, he had broken one of Victor Criss’ hands, flew Patrick Hockstetter backward into a nearby guardrail, knocked Belch Huggins over the head with a piece of debris on the road, and pinned Henry Bowers to the ground. 

The smaller boy couldn’t do anything but watch as Bill truly became a force to be reckoned with. Bill became somebody who could defend themselves and didn’t have to fear those stronger than him. Eddie just knew how to get inside people’s heads, and there was still plenty to fear, even more so after knowing the sort of things people thought. 

Now, they were adults. They had left Derry behind soon after graduation, moving to Portland as roommates. Though it’s customary for students to leave behind their childhood friends after high school, Eddie knew he couldn’t do it. Bill needed him to keep his powers in balance, just as Eddie felt he needed Bill to “fight his bullies.”

So, the year is 1999. Eddie is 23 years old and lives with his childhood best friend in Portland, Maine. He has discovered the metropolis magic that is gay bars and being gay without fear in general. So far, he’s managed to remain pretty selective about who he uses his powers on. 

Being a mind-reader wasn’t half bad when you used in on the right people. 

************  
Despite it being 7 o’clock in the morning and Eddie not needing to be at work until 10, he still felt pieces of fabric pelting him in the face. Groggily, he groaned and willed whatever it was to stop, but it didn’t. When he opened his eyes, Bill was propped at his door, dressed in a hoodie and sweats, flinging Eddie’s own dirty clothes at him with his mind. 

This is definitely not how Eddie wanted to wake up this morning. 

“Billiam,” Eddie said in a sleepy haze, glaring at the ceiling, “you better have a good reason for this.” 

“Don’t forget you promised to come to the bar with Mike and me tonight,” he replied with enthusiasm, something Eddie was truly lacking this morning. “You need to get out of the house.”

Mike was a co-worker of Bill’s at a local newspaper. They were both just intern’s, but they had writing skills which looked promising. Eddie quite liked Mike, because he was polite and did not patronize Eddie about his germaphobia or hypochondria. In fact, Mike was pretty popular among certain circles in Portland, and Eddie didn’t know why he hung around Bill and him.   
*****************

The bar was some hole in the wall downtown, but Mike somehow knew everyone in there. While looking for a table to sit at, he would stop to chat with someone every five seconds. Eventually, they made their way to a semi-dirty table, much to Eddie’s chagrin, near the stage. The place was dimly lit with poolhall overheads, and the red vinyl tables and chairs have definitely seen better days. Around the time the waitress brought out their drinks, a band was preparing to set up on stage. Mike prattled on about how they’ve been gaining popularity rapidly in Portland and how talented they were. Eddie secretly loved rock and roll when he was growing up, but his mom rarely let him listen to it in the house because it was “demonic” and would “corrupt his young mind.” 

Out of the corner of his eye, he spied a tall thin man with dark grey hair plugging his guitar into the large amp. He was instantly less annoyed about how Bill woke him up this morning and praised whatever god was listening for bringing him to this bar tonight. Without realizing, he had stared for too long, and eventually, the man turned around to make eye contact with him from the corner of his eye. From the smirk on the man’s face, Eddie concluded he must’ve looked like a lovestruck teenager. 

Then after looking around the bar, he realized how out of place he must’ve looked. He was wearing an oversized baby blue sweater that made him look like a kid who was trying on their dad’s clothes for the first time. Picking at the label on his beer, he considered reading this stranger’s mind to know what he thought of Eddie. But, he thought better of it when Bill nudged him in the side. 

“Making heart-eyes at the lead singer, are we?” Bill snickered, trying to contain himself at the rampant blush on Eddie’s face.

“No!” Eddie insisted, burying his head in his arms. 

Mike giggled, “I think he’s looking at you too, Eddie.”

Despite his friends teasing, he didn’t lift his head from the table until the band's set began and, boy, Eddie wasn’t disappointed. His head instantly shot up and the gray-haired man was strumming the opening for Zombie by The Cranberries on neon pink guitar. Eddie couldn’t get a good look at him before with everybody's shuffling about on stage, but he could see him very clearly now. He was wearing a bright pink tank top, a grey leather jacket, tight black jeans with rips along the legs, and silver engineer boots. Everything about him seemed so interesting, and Eddie felt himself quickly sinking in. 

His dark curls bobbed back and forth while he sang the lyrics in a raspy voice. Every once and awhile, he’d sneak his attention back to Eddie to make sure he still had his eyes -- which, of course, he did, he always did.   
The song ended too quickly for Eddie’s liking, but it was followed by another, an original, and yet another one. Eddie knocked back drink after drink, not taking his eyes away from the man. He couldn’t even if he wanted to.

Around midnight the set ended and the band began to dismantle their equipment. Mike and Bill’s teasing be damned! Eddie had just enough of the hooch in his system to have the courage to go onstage and talk to the mystery man, and damn it! He was going to!

Nervously, he approached the edge where the lead singer was working on untangling cords and packing his guitar away. The man instantly noticed Eddie approaching him and broke out into a wide grin. 

“I was wondering if you’d get the balls to talk to me,” he says bluntly, still grinning at Eddie. 

Normally, Eddie would be offended, but the amount of beer in his system said fuck it. 

“I mean with those looks you were giving me, I’d be stupid not to talk to you,” Eddie said with the most confidence he has ever mustered in his entire life. 

The man raised one eyebrow and bit his lip, looking entirely amused. “You mean my eye-fucking looks? Yeah. Those were most definitely intentional.”

Eddie felt a hot blush spread from his cheeks to his back at the man’s vulgarity, but the light’s were so dim it would have been difficult to notice if you weren’t paying close attention. 

The man was definitely paying close attention. 

“I’m Richie,” he said, moving his legs to swing over the edge of the stage. 

“Eddie,” the other hiccuped quietly, gravitating closer to Richie and the space between his legs. 

Eddie swears he can hear his friends hooting in the distance, but he really doesn’t give a fuck because he never gets hit on. 

He and Richie are barely inches from each other's lips, before there is a voice calling Richie from offstage. 

“Shit,” he says, glancing from Eddie’s eyes to his lips, “I gotta go. Will you give me your number?”

Eddie fumbled through his pockets, praying for a pen for a hot minute, until Mike swooped in to save Eddie’s love life with a Sharpie. 

Sloppily, he wrote his number on Richie’s hand and then watched Richie disappear with his guitar case in a literally actual flash.


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wrote a lot this time?? i think it’s because we’re getting into the good (gay) parts of the story and it’s so much fun to write. i realized that i forgot to write bill’s stutter in the first chapter, whoops. it’s really mild in this fic bc he has more control of it as an adult but he still has it. thank you so much for reading!!

A slight sting ran through Eddie’s head as he stirred from sleep. He faintly began to remember the events of last night and groaned at the thought of his forwardness. Quietly, he cursed Mike and Bill under his breath for not stopping him, but he checked his answering machine anyway - mentally prepared for either nothing at all or a disastrous rejection voicemail.

Nothing. 

He supposed it was better than, “hey, fuck you. I’m not interested in bar-hookups.”

Only slightly, though. 

Normally, he has to know a guy for months to even consider holding hands with them (which is the reason why most of his relationships fizzle out, but he prefers not to talk about that). But, he felt some sort of magnetic pull last night that he wants to blame entirely on a mixture of physical attraction and alcohol, which isn’t all that difficult. 

Eddie got out of bed to take a couple aspirin only to find Richie sitting at his kitchen table, reading one of Eddie’s old Spiderman comic and sipping black coffee from one of the mugs Eddie’s mother sent him. His heart dropped from his chest into his stomach, as he stood there wide-eyed staring at him. 

Dear fucking god, what did he do last night?!

He doesn’t even remember Richie coming home with him last night. There isn’t a pain in his lower back and his bed seemed to be stain-free, so they couldn’t have slept together. But, it doesn’t explain why a man he clearly saw get into a van with his band and drive off was sitting at his kitchen table. 

Maybe, he was having a fever dream. 

Richie sensed Eddie and glanced up from his comic book and coffee. When he laid eyes on him, he broke out into a smirk and had dark hooded eyes. Eddie didn’t have to be a mind-reader to know what Richie was thinking when he saw Eddie’s shocked stare and slightly agape mouth. 

“Hey, princess,” he drawled, making Eddie’s face heat up in anger and embarrassment. Maybe, he didn’t like Richie as much as the alcohol did. 

“Don’t call me that!” Eddie snapped. “What are you doing in my apartment?”

Richie tsked, with a faux frown. “You’re certainly being rude to a house guest,” he scolded. 

“I don’t even remember inviting you into my house!” 

Eddie’s face was as red as a Coke can, and Richie could clearly tell he was seething, as his stifled laughter indicated. 

Suddenly, a huge roaring laugh burst from him and he yelled out “I can’t, Bill! I can’t do it!” 

Bill entered the kitchen, laughing just as hard as Richie. But, when he looked back, Richie wasn’t Richie. He was Mike, pounding his hand on the table as he laughed so hard he was nearly in tears. 

After a heated moment of confusion and fear, Eddie realized Mike used his shapeshifting abilities to trick him. If he was angry earlier, he was twice as angry now. 

“You guys are assholes!” Eddie shouted, quickly turning on his heel to storm upstairs. 

“Y-You should’ve seen the l-look on your face,” Bill shouted after him. 

When he got up to his room, he immediately breathed out a sigh of relief that he didn’t fuck anything up last night. But, he also cursed himself because even a fake Richie could get him so riled up. 

*************

Silently, Eddie stewed in his irritation and anger long after Mike had left to go home. Not speaking to him as they picked up around the house and finished various chores. 

When Eddie heard the phone ringing in the kitchen, he bolted from the living room to answer it, ignoring Bill’s amused giggling. He swears to god that if this is his mom, he’s going to lock himself in his room forever. 

“Hello,” he said slightly out of breath. 

“Uuhm, hi,” the person on the other end says awkwardly, “Is Eddie there?”

“This is Eddie,” he tries to say with the utmost calmness but winced slightly at how enthused he sounded. 

“Oh hey!” the voice says excitedly, “This is Richie.”

Eddie mouths the words “yes, thank you, Jesus” a couple times, pumping his fisting. He could totally hear Bill giggling in the living room and making kissing noises, but he really didn’t give a fuck. 

Clearing his throat, he begins as nonchalantly as possible, “what’s up, Rich?”

Unknown to Eddie, Richie preens at the nickname on the other side of the line. 

“A couple college students my bandmates know are throwing a party in the suburbs, and I was wondering if you and your friends wanted to come?” Richie said in an excited rush. Eddie could barely understand was he was saying, save for “party” and “wanted to come.” Typically, Eddie didn’t go to parties during his years in high school and college. When he did, he was always dragged there by a friend, namely Bill. But, this was an attractive musician he almost kissed last night.

This was all Eddie needed to know before he enthusiastically said “yes.” Though Richie couldn’t see it, he was vehemently nodding his head and bobbing up and down like an excited child. He could barely contain himself as he wrote down the address. 

“Great! I’ll see you tonight, Eddie Spaghetti,” Richie drawled in his normal raspy voice, feeling slightly more relaxed. 

Before Eddie could reprimand him for the nickname, he hung up, leaving Eddie under Bill’s intense gaze.

“S-so?” Bill asked.

“So, we’re totally going to a college party, tonight,” Eddie stated, pointedly avoiding Bill’s shocked stare. 

“E-Eddie, you hate p-parties,” he deadpanned while looking at Eddie as if he had stepped out of an insane asylum. 

The other man shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, still avoid Bill’s eyes. He mumbled, “I don’t hate them that much.”

“In y-your own words, they are ‘smelly, loud, and a b-breeding ground for g-germs and STDs,’” Bill recited smugly. 

“This is different.”

“How?”

“Cute boy,” Eddie stated simply. Bill shook his head in disbelief and relented to Eddie’s wish. 

********

The house was far out in the suburbs and looked like something from those coming-of-age movies Eddie would watch obsessively as a kid. There were university students strewn out on the lawn, making out and drinking carelessly. A strong pulsing bass came from the house, coursing through Eddie, Bill, and Mike’s bodies as they stood on the sidewalk. 

“I-I hope one of these kids don’t f-fuck up my car,” Bill confessed.

“Kids?” Mike laughed, “you only graduated just last year, Big Bill.”

Ignoring their bickering, Eddie walked away from them towards the house. It was exactly everything Eddie hated about parties: smelly, loud, and a breeding ground for germs and STDs. Belatedly, he realized he must look out of place once again, as he was dressed like a ‘80s rich boy with his striped long sleeve polo and khakis. 

Maybe tonight was going to turn out to be a John Hughes movie after all. 

He uncomfortably wandered through the crowd of college students, looking for the boy with dark grey hair. Just as he was about to give up hope, he spotted Richie sitting on the kitchen counter, swinging and singing along to Guns and Roses, while a redheaded girl, the band’s drummer if Eddie can remember correctly, giggles at the motion of his long gangly limbs. Richie was wearing the same grey leather jacket and silver boots as last night, but he swapped the pink tank top for a Pink Floyd shirt.

Eddie smiles fondly to himself and approaches them. The girl instantly notices and tells Richie to turn around with a smug grin. Richie whips his head around and his eyes go wide whenever he spots Eddie standing there and giggling. First, he gives Eddie an obvious once-over, then he grins wide and motions Eddie to come over to them. 

“Eds!” he exclaims. “The cutest boy in the Portland area! You’ve made it!” 

“Don’t call me that,” Eddie says as Richie places his arm around his shoulder. “And, you must be blind if you think I’m the cutest boy of anything.”

“Well, Edmund,” Richie says in a posh British accent, “I am legally blind according to the state of Maine, so I have to wear these babies.” Then, he pulls his eyelid slightly down, pointing towards the obvious contact lenses in his eyes. “But, you don’t give yourself enough credit, Eddie.”

Meanwhile, the girl is still watching this exchange, smiling as if she knows something they don’t. She clears her throat to get Richie’s attention. 

 

“Oh yeah!” Richie said, “This is our drummer, Beverly.”

“I’m Eddie,” he says in response, sticking his hand out. 

She takes it. “I heard quite a bit about you in the van last night, Eddie. Oh, what were you saying again, Richie? ‘God, he’s so cute. I want to eat him up like a Twinkie. I would’ve paid five billion dollars to have him pin me to that sta-’”

Richie quickly interrupted her in a British accent, “whoa, Bevvie! You insult my fair lady's honor!”

Beverly just shakes her head and takes a cigarette out of her pocket. “I’m going to leave you two lovebirds alone,” she said as she placed the cigarette in her mouth, lit it with a small flame at the end of her finger, and exited the kitchen. 

“So, do you want a drink?” Richie asked, jumping off the counter. 

“Yeah, but I probably shouldn’t drink too much tonight,” Eddie said, biting his lip.

Before Eddie could say what he wanted, Richie got two beers from the fridge. They were both the cheap brand that you could get a 6 pack of for 5 dollars. But, Eddie wasn’t about to complain. He was with Richie, so tonight was already a pretty good night. 

Richie made what was considered a pretty bold move in Eddie’s book and grabbed his hand, leading him towards the living room where the stereo was. Everyone in the living was circled around one person, Bill, who was using his powers to make the keg float. People cheered and shouted as if it was one of the coolest things they’ve ever seen. 

“Your friend seems pretty popular,” Richie leaned in and said to Eddie, matter-of-factly. 

Eddie took a sobering sip of his beer as he leaned against the wall and watched big jock-like guys slap Bill on the back. It was high school all over again. 

“Yeah, I guess,” he shrugged. “Bill’s always had a pretty cool mutation.”

Glancing in his direction, Richie noticed how Eddie’s shoulders were slumped and his eyes were trained on the floor, silently nursing his beer. 

“I bet you have a cool one too! Or, if you don’t have one, that’s also awesome! You don’t need to compare yourself to Bill,” Richie yelled over the loud music.

“Not really,” Eddie said quietly. 

Richie encouragingly nudged him to share, because he genuinely thought Eddie didn’t need to be insecure. 

“Ok, ok,” Eddie relented. “I’m a mind-reader. It’s nothing special, really.”

He lifted his head to look at Richie who looked positively lost for words. 

“W-What?” Richie asked dumbly, growing hot in the face. “So, have you read my thoughts?”

A smirk grew on Eddie’s face as he watched Richie squirm under his gaze. 

“Why Rich?” he asked in the best “sweet and innocent” voice he could muster. “Have you been thinking naughty thoughts about me?”

Eddie leaned into Richie playfully and got a good whiff of cheap cologne, feeling the heat in the pit of his belly when Richie unabashedly said “yes.” 

Quickly, Richie’s eyes grew dark and hooded, as he kept glancing at Eddie’s lips without even trying to hide it. He leaned closer in, and Eddie didn’t feel the same courage coursing through his veins as last night. In the back of his head, he knew that if he started to kiss Richie, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself. Truthfully, he didn’t want this to be some one night stand, so he wouldn’t let it turn into one. 

“Don’t worry,” Eddie whispered softly, aware of the little space between their lips, “I don’t read people’s minds without asking. It’s an invasion of their privacy.”

“You can invade my privacy any day, Eddie Spaghetti,” Richie said. 

At this point, Eddie’s back was against the wall, while Richie leaned one arm against it. Before now, Eddie really never noticed the height difference between the two of them, but Richie simply towered over him, and Eddie could only stare at Richie with big brown eyes. 

“What about you?” Eddie asked, awkwardly trying to change the subject, “What’s your mutation?”

Richie took the hint and backed away from Eddie, slightly disappointed. Little did he know, Eddie was also disappointed. 

“I’m really fast,” Richie said proudly, taking a sip of his beer. 

“What does that even mean?” Eddie sputtered. 

“I could show you,” Richie drawled with a wicked grin. 

But, it wasn’t an innuendo this time. 

Richie actually grabbed Eddie’s hand and dragged him from the house. Once they got outside, Eddie felt the cold bite of the fall temperature, as he shivered slightly. Quickly, Richie took off his jacket and put it around Eddie’s shoulders, then hunched over. 

“Get on,” Richie said impatiently. 

Mentally, Eddie resented that he was small enough for Richie to give him a piggyback ride, but he didn’t voice it. 

As soon as he was one, the world around him became a blur as he clutched on to Richie for dear life. And, in an instant, it was over. They were 5 blocks away from the house in front of an all-night convenience store. Eddie was ready to vomit all over the pavement while he dug around in his pocket for his inhaler. He took two quick inhalations, before turning around to glare at Richie. 

“You could’ve got me killed!” he scolded, still trying to calm his insides. 

“But I didn’t,” Richie pointed out, rubbing Eddie on the back as he worried his lip between his teeth. 

Truthfully, he felt very guilty for making Eddie this uncomfortable and worried, but his mouth replied before he could stop it. Eddie looked at Richie’s face and took his earlier words to heart, reading Richie’s thoughts. His anger almost immediately dissipated. 

“I know,” Eddie said calmly and quietly. “I’m not mad at you. It’s ok.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

Richie didn’t make Eddie get on his back again, but instead went into the convenience store and bought him a ginger ale. They walked the whole five blocks back to the house party (with Richie’s hand on Eddie’s waist), bickering and arguing. When they got back, Bill and Mike were laying on the hood of Bill’s car, blanking staring up at the sky. 

“E-Eddie,” Bill hiccuped and then slurred. “You’re clearly the most s-sober, so you are the d-designated driver.”

He lazily tossed his keys in Eddie’s direction, clearly not worried whether Eddie caught them or not. (He didn’t).

After Eddie fished Bill’s keys from the gravel, he turned to Richie, whose arm was still around his waist, and said goodnight.

“Thanks for inviting us,” Eddie spoke softly as if he’d ruin the moment if he spoke any louder. “I had a really fun time with you, Rich.”

“No problem,” Richie replied. “You’re still the cutest boy in Portland, Eddie Spaghetti.”

Before Eddie could scold him for using that nickname, Richie leaned down for a quick peck on the lips. The same kind of kiss you’d give when dropping off someone after a first date. Eddie met Richie’s eyes when he pulled away and saw nothing but pure adoration there. 

After they broke away and Richie was walking back towards the house, Eddie noticed he was still wearing the leather jacket. 

“Wait, Richie!” he called. “Your jacket!”

“Keep it!” Richie yelled back. 

Tonight truly did turn into a John Hughes movie.


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally woke up at 3:30 in the morning and thought “wow I’m gay and I need to write something gay.” So, this chapter is literally full of 3 am feelings. Once again, thank you to everyone who read and left kudos and comments. ! It makes me so happy when y’all enjoy my stuff.

Officially, they were not dating...yet. After the house party, Richie had begun to invite Eddie to hang out more often, but none of it was ever an official date. Sure, they had spent plenty of time together, either in their apartments or cruising around in Richie’s 1987 El Camino and listening to mixtape’s together. 

Although, most of the time, Eddie was distracted by Richie repeatedly thinking, “the front is like a car, and the back is like a truck. The front is where you drive, and the back is where you fuck.” It was, if only slightly annoying, kinda endearing. 

Much to Eddie’s satisfaction, Richie was so comfortable around him that he let Eddie freely read his thoughts whenever he wanted to. Not even Bill placed that level of trust in him, as he always maintained Eddie must ask first. So, during a majority of their time together, Eddie would try and hone it on Richie’s thoughts. 

It was slightly difficult though, due to Richie’s nature. 

Not only was Richie such a high energy person with the speed of the Energizer bunny, his thoughts seemed to follow the same pattern. It was often whenever Eddie even tried to read his thoughts, he’d be thinking at five hundred words a minute - and none of those words followed a logical pattern. To be honest, he appreciates the symbol of trust, but he doesn’t really listen to Richie’s thoughts casually because he can’t keep up. 

Furthermore, ever since he has known the man, Richie has done nothing but praise and encourage his abilities, which Eddie definitely wasn’t used to. As a telepathic, he was used to be the problem solver for everyone else, but nobody could really quell his insecurities until now. So, their relationship works in a symbiotic nature. Eddie comforts and advises Richie whenever he’s upset, and Richie assures Eddie he isn’t useless and freakish. 

So, no, they hadn’t been on an official date, despite their friend's desires for them to just get it over with, but Eddie was plenty satisfied with what they had between them. Unlike Eddie’s previous relationships, he didn’t feel as if he needed to make either of them put on a button up shirt and nice slacks, go to an Italian restaurant where the waiter is a dick, and then get handsy at the end of the night to have a meaningful relationship. 

But that wasn’t to say, the two of them weren’t handsy anyways. They just preferred to get frisky in jeans and t-shirts instead. 

Eddie loved his relationship to Richie and how free he felt around him, so he wasn’t particularly in hurry to slap a label on it.

 

****************

One night, they were eating at McDonald’s at two in the morning, but Richie was uncharacteristically quiet. So much so that it was disheartening to Eddie. He definitely didn’t like a quiet Richie, because that meant he was wandering around in murky territory. 

“You’ve barely touched your burger,” Eddie points out, trying to ignore the way Richie stares blankly at his extra large Coke (“As if you need more sugar,” Eddie once teased). 

Richie glanced up at Eddie and forced a painfully fake smile, fiddling with the zipper on his jacket. Eddie could see so much hurt in his eyes, and it pained him. He just wanted to read the other’s thoughts, so he could fix the problem, but a voice from childhood was screaming at him in his head. 

Maybe, this was too personal for Eddie to know. They’ve only known each other for a couple months, and Eddie was internally screaming at himself not to intrude. 

“I’m just not that hungry,” Richie replied quietly, still displaying a faux smile which was still giving Eddie chest pains. 

“You’re never this quiet,” Eddie says even quieter as if he’s afraid Richie is going to shout at him to mind his own business at any moment. Though he knows in his heart Richie would never do that. Richie refuses to lose his temper and yell at Eddie, even when he’s ready to burst from anger. 

He doesn’t reply. 

Nothing is said further on the subject until they get in Richie’s car and hit the highway, speeding down at 90 miles per hour because nobody is on. 

“Do you think I’m annoying?” Richie whispers, almost hoping Eddie doesn’t catch it. 

And Eddie almost doesn’t, as it was so quiet it was practically drowned out by Eddie’s childhood jams mixtape. 

Despite knowing better, Eddie glanced over and saw tears forming in Richie’s eyes. He felt a sharp pain in his chest, causing tears to well up in his eyes too. In an instant, he wanted to find whoever even implied Richie was a nuisance and tell them off. 

Eddie grabbed at Richie’s hand which was resting on the gear shift and intertwined their fingers. When Eddie finally spoke, Richie paid close attention to his face out of the corner of his eye. 

“I mean,” Eddie started, “you constantly tick me off and give me headaches, but I wouldn’t ever trade you for someone else. And anyone who says you’re annoying has to answer to me because only I get to bully you.”  
There was a gentle smile plastered on Eddie’s face as he said all of it, and it made Richie’s heart beat ten times faster. He couldn’t believe someone so beautiful and considerate could even give two shits about him. For reassurance, he squeezed Eddie’s hand, and the other man squeezed back in kind. 

He thinks this specific moment was the one he officially fell for Eddie, and they weren’t even dating yet. 

When they arrived at Eddie’s apartment, Richie realized he didn’t want to be alone tonight. Surprisingly, he didn’t even want into Eddie’s pants. He just wanted to hold Eddie close to him as the smaller man slept and his mind raced. He wanted to feel the soft skin of Eddie’s waist as his shirt rode up and to intertwine their legs.

He wanted Eddie so bad. 

“Can I stay with you, tonight?” he asked in a choked whisper, ready to mentally kick himself when Eddie inevitably rejected him. 

The rejection never came, though. 

Eddie only nodded gently and solemnly, getting out of the car. Richie instantly followed suit and rushed to where Eddie was standing on the doorstep. He hugged the other man from behind and held on tightly as Eddie sort through his keys, burying his nose into the crook of Eddie’s neck and smelling the sweet scent of peaches. Richie secretly knew Eddie used women’s perfume, but he never said anything about it due to Eddie’s sensitivity about his masculinity. 

When Eddie finally got the door unlocked, Richie had to restrain himself from bolting in and up the stairs. Instead, he followed Eddie at a timid pace, trying to keep as quiet as possible so as not to wake the other tenants and Bill. 

Richie wanted to scream for joy when they got to Eddie’s apartment and, eventually, his bedroom. 

He’s been in Eddie’s room before, but never this late at night. They hadn’t gone all the way yet, because, again, they were taking things slow. Everything felt so much more serene when it was drowned out in the moonlight and streetlights. 

As one would expect Eddie’s room looked like that of an adult with one exception. Eddie had posters of Culture Club and Billy Idol hung up, and Richie found his nostalgic fondness for the ‘80s to be entirely endearing. Whenever Richie teased him about his love for Boy George, Eddie always replied “I was a gay kid in the ‘80s. Who else am I supposed to be obsessed with?”

“I don’t have anything for you to wear,” Eddie stated, snapping him out of his thoughts, “because none of it would fit, you giant.” 

“You know what else is giant, Eddie Spaghetti?” Richie teased. “My wang.”

“God, shut up,” Eddie huffed, rolling his eyes playfully. “I should’ve left you at McDonald’s.”

Richie stripped down to his boxers, feeling comfortable enough to sleep almost naked with Eddie. As he struggled to get out of his tight jeans, he remarked, “then who would tell you what a pretty boy you are?”

Much to Richie’s satisfaction, Eddie blushed wildly like a schoolboy. “Just get into bed,” Eddie snapped with no real bite. 

“I love it when you order me around,” Richie drawled, complying with the request. Eddie just audibly groaned in response. 

For a moment, Eddie left the room to go to the bathroom and brush his teeth. When he came back, he was dressed in large Beatles shirt (that Richie recognized as his) and boxers. He got underneath the covers, then turned to face Richie. 

“Hey,” he whispered, “do you want to talk about earlier?”

“Not really,” the other immediately responded.

There was a moment of silence as Eddie worried his bottom lip between his teeth. 

“Can I read your mind, instead?” Eddie asked hopefully. 

Richie considered it for a moment, knowing it would be easier than actually explaining the problem to Eddie. Soon, he relented. 

“Ok,” Eddie started, “so I’m going to do something I haven’t really done since high school, so don’t freak out if I start having tremors.” 

Before Richie could ask what the fuck that meant, Eddie put his fingers on both of Richie’s temples, closing his eyes in concentration. 

Richie’s mind was running so quickly it was hard to focus on the specific problem. But, all of his thoughts seemed to be about his parents, who Richie never discussed voluntarily. 

Eddie could see memories of Mr. Tozier calling Richie dumb and a failure, and then Mrs. Tozier wishing she simply had another child instead of Richie entirely. It irked Eddie to no end that the other’s parents would treat him this way when Richie wasn’t even that bad of a guy. 

Sure, he cursed like a sailor and always said inappropriate things at inappropriate times. And sure, Richie was a notorious chain-smoker, much to Eddie’s dismay. But none of those things warrant this kind of treatment. Richie deserved to be loved like every other child, and Eddie hates Richie’s parents for taking that away from him. 

Finally, Eddie found the specific problem. Richie’s parents hadn’t invited him home for Thanksgiving this year, which must’ve led Richie to believe they did it because they thought he was annoying. 

Truthfully, they did it because they’re shitty parents, but that’s neither here nor there. 

“Rich, honey,” Eddie cooed, “you don’t need your parents. Why should you care what they think of you? You’re an awesome and talented musician. You’ve got plenty of friends who would literally bend over backward for you. And, you’ve got a cute boyfriend who thinks you’re one of the coolest people he’s ever met. Honestly, I wouldn’t want you to spend Thanksgiving with them anyway. You belong here with us in Portland.”

Richie felt like he was about to cry, but he didn’t know how he could possibly respond to that. Instead, he just pulled Eddie as close as possible, holding him tightly. Eddie relaxed in his grip and placed a chaste kiss on his jawline. 

After a moment of silence, Richie finally replied. 

“Wow. I can’t believe you called me your boyfriend. You must really like me, Kaspbrak.” 

But nothing was said to refute the fact. 

“Shut up, trashmouth,” Eddie said, rolling over so they could spoon. “You know I do. Now go to sleep already.”

Something swelled in Richie’s chest, as he pulled Eddie to his chest and buried his nose in the crook of his neck again. 

For once in his life, he felt lucky.


	4. Chapter Four

Much to Mrs. Kaspbrak’s frustration, it has been five years since Eddie has been back to Derry. Every time she urges him to come visit or come home for the holidays, he bickers with her until she relents and travels to Portland instead. Despite Bill’s usually patient and courteous demeanor, having Mrs. Kaspbrak in their apartment was always a test of Eddie and Bill’s friendship, because one of them would be trying to kill the other by the end of it. 

But this year was different because this was the year Eddie’s mom slipped in the shower and threw out her back. It was no surprise to Eddie, as his mother was aging rapidly. 

Thankfully, one of Eddie’s aunts found her before too much harm could be done, but Mrs. Kaspbrak stayed in her armchair all day now, refusing to leave the house. Now, Eddie would have to travel to Derry for Thanksgiving, instead of spending it with Richie and their friends. 

He supposes he could always invite Richie to come along, but he didn’t want Richie to see where he grew up. He didn’t want to slip up and reveal the old Eddie - a mama’s boy and a sissy - to his boyfriend. Furthermore, he knew his mother passive aggressive homophobic comments would be seriously discouraging for Richie. Eddie was used to it because it was her nature. Even though she knew Eddie was gay, he felt as if she’d never truly accepted it deep down.

That’s just the way it was with Mrs. Kaspbrak.

*************

During an evening with Richie at his apartment, Eddie decided to break the news. Gratefully, Stan was out drinking with Bill as they usually do on Friday nights (which Eddie needs to ask Bill about eventually). Richie had fallen asleep during the second half of Clueless, and Eddie found his tiny snores adorable despite always telling him they’re annoying. Securely, Eddie was in Richie’s lap, pressing his back close to the other’s chest. He lightly kicked at Richie’s socked feet with his own, trying to stir him from sleep.

In response, Richie groaned and softly swatted at Eddie’s bare thigh. 

“Stooop,” he moaned, resting his face in the crook of Eddie’s neck. His further protests were muffled.

“No,” Eddie said curtly. “We gotta talk.”

Lazily, Richie opened his eyes. He was wearing his glasses tonight because he lost his contacts. They magnified his dark brown eyes to a comical level. 

“Can’t we do this later?” Richie drawled, tightening his arms around Eddie’s waist.

Eddie rolled his eyes but then decided there was no time like the present to just come out and say it. 

“I’m going back home for Thanksgiving,” Eddie sighed, and as soon as the words left his mouth, Richie sat up straight and looked at him with wide eyes and knitted eyebrows. 

“Oh.” He sounded dejected, and it shot straight through his heart. “I just thought we were spending Thanksgiving together.”

Quietly, Eddie replied, “we still can.”

It took a minute for the confusion to dissipate from Richie’s face, as he realized what Eddie was really saying. 

“Are you sure?” Richie questioned. “What if your mom doesn’t like me?”

“My mom doesn’t like anybody,” Eddie deadpanned.

Richie pursed his lips and looked as though he was in deep thought for a minute, which Eddie took the opportunity to explore. 

“What if she hates me?” Richie thought. “What if she knows I’m not good enough for Eddie?”

Eddie threw a side-eyed glance at Richie and pulled his face into a grimace. He couldn’t believe Richie would even think he’s not good enough, and he voices such. 

“You are good enough,” Eddie chastises, smacking Richie’s shoulder. “Besides, it’s my job to overthink and worry about my mom’s opinion, not yours.” 

Richie still shows uncertainty on his face. He has heard nightmarish stories about Mrs. Kaspbrak from both Eddie and Bill. His knowledge of her extended to the fact she manipulated Eddie into believing he was frail and delicate when Richie knows Eddie is anything but. Of course, Eddie had his insecurities, but he showed unparalleled amounts of strength by continually putting up with everyone’s bullshit and helping his friends. He also had the faint idea Eddie’s mom wasn’t very thrilled with the fact her son was gay.

“Well, tough shit,” Richie thought. “He deserves to be himself without fear.”

Truthfully, Richie only wanted to be with Eddie for the holidays, despite his fearful mother.

In response to Eddie’s proposition, Richie grabbed his hand and squeezed tightly, then agreed. 

“Because, fuck what Mrs. K thinks,” Richie decided.  
************************

Though both Bill and Stan were excited to have the apartments to themselves, Bill was still slightly concerned. The morning they planned to leave for Derry, Bill pulled Richie aside as Eddie was putting their bags into the bed of Richie’s El Camino. 

“I al-almost feel l-like I’m s-sending you off to w-war,” Bill whispers solemnly. “P-please don’t let Mrs. Kaspbrak’s behavior affect your relationship with Eddie. It would d-devastate him.”

Richie grimaces and tries to interrupt when Bill shuts him down. 

“I-I’d be lying t-to you if I said Eddie’s m-mom isn’t a bad person,” Bill admits, but then thinks better of it. “Don’t tell E-Eddie I s-said that.”

He continues, “she will say just about anything to maintain control over Eddie, which includes tearing other people down. She’s most definitely going to be nasty to you while you’re there, but try not to let it get to you. I don’t like Mrs. K, but I put up with her for Eddie’s sake.” 

The only thing Richie could do was purse his lips and nod because for once, he was at a loss for words. Maybe just like Richie didn’t want to be alone, Eddie didn’t want to be alone with his mother in his childhood home. 

****************

Not much about Derry changed since he moved, Eddie noticed. A few years ago, they installed a mall downtown and demolished a few factories as well, but it was pretty much the same as it had been in high school. He could see there were still hateful things graffitied on Kissing Bridge, but he assumed Derry teenagers never stopped being assholes. 

They drove past the Barrens, and Eddie remembered the first time he admitted he was gay to Bill. His best friend just held him while he cried and shook on the dirt ground. 

When they pulled up to Eddie’s childhood home, all the memories began flooding back - the endless nights of bickering in high school, the scheduled medications, the inhaler he never truly needed, all of it. 

Richie could apparently see Eddie was troubled from the look on his face, so he reached towards Eddie’s hands which were twitching in his lap. He grabbed one and intertwined their fingers, giving Eddie the same reassuring smile Eddie has given him a million times. 

Eddie responded in kind, feeling brave enough to step out of the car instead of telling Richie to hit the gas and haul ass elsewhere. As they begun to unload their bags from the bed, one of Eddie’s aunts stepped out of the house, glared at Richie, then called “Sonia!” from the front door.

Bill and Eddie always said Eddie’s mom was hefty, but Richie never thought she would be well past obese. She stood in the doorway in a pink floral nightgown with stray curlers in her hair, watching them through large frames on her face. 

Though the nasty look Eddie’s mom made Richie want to piss himself out of fear, he pulled his lips into a wide grin for Eddie. He’s had plenty of experience with partner’s parents who hated him, so this shouldn’t be different.

Right?

Wrong. 

Richie swallows the lump in his throat as he mentally realizes this thing with Eddie was getting pretty serious and it wasn’t just fooling around for either of them. And nobody, not even Sonia Kaspbrak, was going to ruin this for him. 

Suddenly, they’re standing on the porch with the beast standing right in front of them. Her gaze turns from Richie to Eddie and softened, immediately pulling her son into a bear hug. 

“Oh I missed you, Eddie bear!” she exclaimed, pressing him to her breast. Richie faintly wondered if his boyfriend even could breathe. 

“Eddie bear,” Richie muttered endearingly under his breath. “That’s cute.”

Neither of the other two heard it but instead continued their interaction. 

“Hi, Mommy,” Eddie muffled, still pressed to Sonia’s chest. He managed to break free of her grip and gesture to Richie, which the other boy really wishes he hadn’t because soon, Sonia’s hawk-like stare was on him again. 

“Ma, this is Richie! My boyfriend!” Eddie said with so much pride. The glimmer in his eye made Richie feel as if Eddie thought he hung the stars himself. 

The moment was soon ruined by Mrs. Kaspbrak’s unhappy grunt, which she made no effort to hide. Richie wasn’t welcome. She didn’t want Richie there and never would. But, Richie didn’t give a shit. She was just going to have put up with him because Richie was seriously falling in love with Eddie. 

Though he was used to running, he would stand his ground this time for Eddie. 

*****************************

After Eddie’s mom invited them inside and Richie was introduced to Eddie’s aunts (who were slightly nicer compared to their sister), they traveled upstairs to settled in. Mrs. Kaspbrak insisted Richie stay in the guest room, but when he took Eddie’s bags to his old room, he noticed the bed was definitely big enough for the two of them. 

When he mentioned it to Eddie, the other man, still unpacking, only deadpanned, “She doesn’t want us bumping uglies under her roof.”

Richie almost choked on his own spit. 

“I wish we were bumping uglies in general!” he recovered, trying to seem flirtatious and not desperate, even though he was pretty desperate. 

They had been together for three months, and while they did other things, they hadn’t had actual sex. Richie was practicing nothing but patience because he’d probably castrate himself if Eddie asked. He just wanted Eddie to feel comfortable and safe, so they went at Eddie’s pace, though Richie’s nature was to go fast. 

Literally.

Eddie rolled into his eyes, but played into Richie’s game. “Maybe if you’re a good boy,” he teased. 

Richie raised an eyebrow and drawled, “What are you talking about, Eds? I’m always the best boy.”

Before Eddie could say anything, Richie was behind him with his hands on his waist, placing lingering kisses on his neck. He took much satisfaction in the way Eddie’s neck instantly flushed, soon reaching the tips of his ears. 

“S-stop,” Eddie gasped. “We can’t do this right now.”

Richie eyes lit up like Christmas lights as he asked, “later?”

When Eddie furiously nodded, Richie felt as if his heart was about to burst from his chest. 

***************************

Later that evening, they joined Eddie’s mother and aunts for dinner, much to Richie’s discomfort. They spent most of the night gossiping about their acquaintances, but they still managed to find time between nasty rumors to interrogate Richie.

“So,” Eddie’s aunt started, “what do you do, Richie?”

Mrs. Kaspbrak’s eyes quickly went from her sister to her son’s boyfriend, as she waited expectantly for the answer. Eddie would later tell Richie she was thinking “I’m sure he doesn’t have one.”

“I’m a musician,” Richie said nervously, reaching for Eddie’s hand under the table for support. 

Eddie’s mom scoffed, turning back to annoyingly push her mashed potatoes around on her plate. His aunts only giggled, throwing disbelieving looks to both Sonia and Richie. 

“You know, I wouldn’t mind Eddie being gay if he could ever find a man worthwhile,” she said bluntly, glaring at Richie. Then she turned to Eddie, “Why do you hate me, Eddie? You must hate me because you keep bringing home losers solely to disappoint me.”

There was no answer to that question. Eddie knew what game his mother was playing. She would try to invoke guilt from Eddie, even when Eddie did absolutely nothing wrong. Though Eddie thought he was immune to it by now, it still got to him deep down. 

“It’s your own damn fault you’re disappointed, Ma,” Eddie deadpanned. “I did nothing wrong.”

She looked taken aback and embarrassed her son was talking back to her in front of her sisters. Her eyes narrowed into slits, as her gaze was still trained on an apathetic Eddie. 

“You got really mouthy after high school,” she hissed. “Whatever happened to ‘Yes, mommy. Whatever you say, Mommy’?”

A long sigh escaped from Eddie’s lips. He really didn’t want to do this right now in front of Richie. Arguing with his mom wasn’t a new concept to him, so he grew tired of it quickly. It wasn’t exhilarating as it was when he was rebelling against his mother’s word. It was simply plain exhausting because Sonia Kaspbrak was the most stubborn person on the planet. 

“Please just let me eat my dinner,” he snapped at her, refusing to look at anybody at the table, including Richie. 

After showing plenty of disdain on her face, Mrs. Kaspbrak decided to let it go for now and return her attention to her sisters. 

***************************

When dishes were done, Eddie stormed upstairs with a meek and unusually quiet Richie following behind. The door closed behind them with a slam, as Eddie flopped face first into the bed and screamed into a pillow. Worriedly, Richie sat down next to him on the bed, rubbing between his shoulder blades. 

Eddie’s turned his head to face Richie, tightly clutching the pillow in both hands while small tears formed in his eyes. As soon as he noticed them, he hurriedly wiped them away, hoping Richie wouldn’t see. 

“I’m so fucking sorry you had to see that,” Eddie groans, feeling his face heat up in embarrassment. “I’m sorry she called you a loser.”

Richie just shrugged it off, lying down next to Eddie so they were facing each other. “Nothing I haven’t been called before.”

“But that doesn’t make it ok,” Eddie whispered, feeling his energy slipping from him. 

“No, it doesn’t,” Richie replies, “but I can take it with a grain of salt because I get the feeling your mom is an unreasonably petty and vindictive person.”

“Yeah,” Eddie rasped, “she is.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” 

Richie can see the cogs in Eddie’s head turning as he considers his entire relationship with his mother. His face quickly pulls into a grimace, and he chokes out a silent sob, feeling those tears coming back up. 

“She always does that,” Eddie said solemnly in between sobs. “She always tries to make me feel guilty, so I’ll do what she wants. Ever since I was a kid, she has been playing mind games with me, and I thought I grew out of being so susceptible to her bullshit, but it still hurts. It hurts to feel like I have no control because of my mother.”

The other man wrapped his arms around Eddie, holding him as he cried. For once, Richie was unsure of what to say. He just knew he didn’t want to let Eddie go because he felt like if he did, he’d be relinquishing him to Sonia. 

Eddie sniffled and pulled himself together, wiping away the tears with his sleeve. Though he didn’t want to, he pulled away from Richie’s hold. He looked his boyfriend in the eye, and Richie hated the sad glimmer in those big brown eyes. 

“If you want to break up with me, I’ll understand,” Eddie said meekly.

After waiting what felt like a century, Richie just looked at Eddie like he said “2+2=5.”

“Are you stupid?” Richie laughed. “I wouldn’t leave you even if your mom beat me with a frying pan. We’re in this together. Sadly, you’re stuck with me, Kaspbrak.”

In response, Eddie’s eyes lit up immediately and he giggled, throwing himself into Richie’s arms. 

This time, Richie wasn’t going to let go for the entire world.


	5. Chapter Five

“This is going to be the longest weekend of my life,” Richie sighed into the phone, twirling the spiral cord around his finger. After their frustrating first dinner with Eddie’s mother as a couple, Eddie decided the best course of action would be to freshen up and leave the house. Richie laid sprawled out on the bed as Eddie showers, calling Beverly on Eddie’s old rotary phone. All things considered, Richie considered the thought of Eddie as a teenager talking into this fucking baby pink phone with an oversized Derry High sweater on to be the cutest thing on the planet - no doubt about it.

“That bad, huh?” she asked sympathetically

“Bill wasn’t fucking around when he basically told me she’s a horrifying person. We haven’t even been here one night, and she’s already made Eddie cry,” he complained quietly, careful not to allow anyone in the house the opportunity to eavesdrop. “I just wanna smuggle him away in the El Camino, so she can never make him cry again.”

Richie could hear the water shutting off in Eddie’s bathroom, signalling an end to this conversation. He swears to God that if Eddie were to wander into the room with a fluffy pink towel, he would literally cry tears of pure love and adoration on the spot.

“I’m not gonna lie to you, Rich. It’s probably gonna get worse before it gets better,” Beverly supplied. “You’re gonna want to solve the problem by saying a big ‘fuck you,’ but Eddie isn’t a ‘fuck you’ kind of person. Just be there for him, so he won’t feed into his own insecurities.”

Just as Eddie was walking into the room, Richie replied, “Oh, bless you, mystical goddess of wisdom! I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“I know, kid,” Beverly giggled, then paused. “Oh! And remember to wear protection!”

Right after the words came out of her mouth, Eddie slinked on top of Richie on the bed and kissed his shoulder, making Richie immediately slam the phone back down to its receiver. Eddie’s hair was dripping all over him, and he smelled like the kind of soap you buy for like 2 dollars, but Richie still loved every single of second of it. For the first time, Richie realized he was in love with Eddie, so much so he personally shared all of Eddie’s hurt. Distantly, he wondered if Eddie felt this passionately about him as well.

“Bev?” Eddie rasped, trailing light kisses from Richie’s neck up to his earlobe and playing with the back belt loops of Richie’s jeans. Richie’s heart twinged at the weak tone of Eddie’s voice. He had been crying while he was in the shower.

“There’s no one wiser,” Richie answered, turning around so he could look at the other. Eddie man was wearing Richie’s Red Hot Chili Peppers sweatshirt; the sleeves hung loosely off his arms, covering his hands.

Eddie wanted to supply a witty remark, but he just couldn’t - not with the way Richie was openly staring at him. Much to Richie’s amusement, he fought a blush, not wanting to seem like a teenage boy.

“You wanted to go somewhere?” Richie broke the silence, holding Eddie’s covered hands in his.

Silently, Eddie nodded, burying his face in Richie’s neck and inhaling the comforting scent of his cologne. Just the essence of Richie helped stabilize his emotions. If he were here this weekend without him, Eddie would be an absolute trainwreck.

“Well, I’ll let you give me the grand tour of Derry,” Richie said softly, leaving a small peck on Eddie’s lips to punctuate the sentence.

*************

They were blindly hopeful Sonia would let them slip out of the house without conflict, but life was just never that simple. As silently as possible, they stalked down the stairs, trying to sneak out like they were 17. Eddie kept a giggle suppressed in his throat as Richie, who was loving every second of it, teasingly left lingering touches on his waist and hips.

But, as per usual, the universe just happens to be out to get the young couple. Always.

In the living room to the right of the stairs, Mrs. Kaspbrak sat. Her gaze averted from whatever late night talk show she was watching previously to Eddie, Richie, and Richie’s hand in Eddie’s back pocket. In the garish purple and blue light of the television, she looked even more menacing and grotesque. Everything about her eyes were stone cold, and Richie could practically hear her plotting his murder in her head.

Instead of removing his hand (like any sane person would’ve done), Richie clenches his jaw and stands up straight, not giving into Sonia’s scare tactics. Eddie didn’t even bother to remove it for him, because he was so nervously studying his mother’s demeanor. He clears his throat.

“It’s late, Ma,” he says weakly, tugging at his collar. “What are you still doing up?”

Coldly, she deadpanned, “I could ask you the same question, Edward. ”

Horrifyingly, Eddie could feel his spine tingle at the name and all the hairs on his arms stand up. “Edward” meant business - no doubt about it.

Despite wanting to run back upstairs and hide, Eddie responded as evenly as he possibly could. “I’m an adult, therefore I’m allowed to go out at whatever time I please.”

Meanwhile, Richie could only observe anxiously, worrying his lip between his teeth. It was almost like watching two alleycats circle each other, ready to fling themselves into a fight at any moment.

“Nothing good happens at night, Eddie!” Sonia snapped, causing Richie to slightly flinch, but not Eddie.

“Is that when you were conceived?” Eddie retorted frigidly, clearly seething as his nostrils slightly flared.

The silence which fell upon the house was practically suffocating. There was a storm in the form of Sonia Kaspbrak brewing in the Lazy Boy of Eddie’s former living room. Richie’s pretty sure getting struck by lightning would be ten times more comfortable.

The storm spoke, “You are a terrible son, Eddie. I allow you to prance around like a faggot, yet you still speak back to me in my own home. Your father would be so disappointed.”

With only three sentences, the walls Eddie built around himself were demolished, and his mother was raiding the metaphorical village. Richie could see his boyfriend’s eyes misting over. Those were undeniably fresh, hot tears, just for Eddie’s mother.

Finally, it was Richie’s turn to speak.

“He’s not a terrible son!” Richie exclaimed indignantly, hands on his hips. “You’re a terrible mom! Eddie has done everything under the sun to please you, yet you still can’t let him be happy and enjoy his life.”

Shock coursed through Eddie’s veins, as well as Sonia’s. At that moment, Eddie’s heart swelled with both worry and joy, while Sonia’s shrank about two more sizes. Never in his life did he expect any one of his boyfriends to speak to his mother like that, but he supposes miracles really do happen.

Suddenly, Eddie had full power back. All control had been returned to him, and the feeling was nothing short of exhilarating.

Before Sonia could attack, Eddie barked, “Richie! Go upstairs and get our bags. We’re going back to Portland.”

Without missing a beat, Richie supplied an “aye aye captain!” while making a saluting motion. His expression showed nothing but pride.

Simultaneously, there was nothing but contempt and stank in Mrs. Kaspbrak’s own expression, as she glared at Eddie.

“You know I thought about sending you to electric shock therapy the first time you were caught with a boy,” she stated. “I didn’t do enough to cure you of your illness. You’ve always been a very sick boy.”

Eddie let out a disbelieving laugh. “I’m not sick! I was never sick to begin with, mother! You’re the one who’s sick.”

Seconds later, Richie bumbled down the stairs with his gangly limbs and both their luggage his arms, curls bouncing stupidly as he sported a dumb goofy grin on his face. He just loved Eddie so much!

Sonia’s glare lingered on them as they exited the front door. Eddie finally let out a shaky sigh when they were safely on the front porch.

“Still want a tour of Derry before we leave?” he asked as soon as he collected his composure, teasingly grinning widely at Richie.

“Fuck no!” Richie exclaimed, already heading towards the car. “Let’s get the fuck out of this shit hick town!”

On the porch of his childhood home, Eddie realized there was never going to be anyone better for him than Richie.

***************

The entire drive home, Eddie was buzzing. He kept alternating between staring at Richie with a dumb lovestruck look on his face and fiddling with Richie’s fingers. Every time a sappy love song came on the radio, Eddie’s heart did a little jolt, and Richie would glance over and grin knowingly. In the back of his mind, Eddie realized he must’ve looked so dumb, but he didn’t care because this was the best night of his life.

When they arrived at Eddie’s apartment in Portland, Richie could barely keep his hands to himself. They didn’t even bother getting the luggage out of the trunk. This was a safe enough neighborhood, anyway.

Tightly, Richie gripped Eddie’s waist as he unlocked the apartment door, nipping lightly at his neck and leaving light kisses. Eddie giggled and playfully swatted at Richie’s arms, causing him to grin widely. He couldn’t help but admire how perfect Eddie was at that moment.

They finally got in the door, careful not to make too much noise in consideration of Bill. Their efforts were futile, as Bill was awoken from his slumber with Stan (Eddie would have to ask later) laying on top of him on the living room couch. Frustratedly and groggily, they both squinted at their friends.

“Eddie? Richie?” Bill groaned, rubbing tiredly at his eyes. “I thought you weren’t going to be back until Sunday night.”

“We stuck it to Eddie’s mom!” Richie claimed, beaming proudly. He was still gripping on to Eddie. “Now, I’ve gotta go stick it to Eddie.”

“What?!” Bill shouted, then sighed and shrugged his friends off. “That’s awesome guys. Tell me about it in the morning.”

“Oh, you’ll get every single detail, Big Bill,” Richie purred lecherously while wiggling his eyebrows, making Stan cringe in disgust.

“Don’t be gross, Trashmouth,” he muttered.


End file.
